Picker



Patented Oct. 23, 1945 NIT fi ir '11-:s PATENT v OFFICE, r

J N Leon CampbelLHendersonville, N. C. r Application August 26, 1943, Serial No. 500,064

" i sol iins. (01. 139 159) .1 Thepresentrinvention relatesto loom pickers, and has as its object to increase the useful life and. improve the operation of loop pickers of the type applied to the end of .pickersticks to propeland check the shuttle in its flight across ,the loom. 1: :1. 1 q these ends, the inventionycomprises a piok er made of leather, rubber, plastic, or other suitable material preferably of 'non-metallic yieldingpr elastic nature, having its working face enclosed in a resilient metal casing which serves bothtopreventor delay the destructive spreading and distortion of the picker out of usable condition, under ,the. pounding of, the

f-shuttle point, andalso to create ,a relative movement and consequently a frictional ,resistance between the surface of thepicker body and the contacting surface of the,metal casing, when the parts are spread by impact of the shuttle, which consumes and dissipates some of the energy of theblow delivered against the picker by the shuttle point in'fpicking. orchecking the shuttle. Preferably, the metal casing is apertured to admit the shuttle point to contact with the picker body without the shuttle engaging the metalof the casing, while the casing is made continuous entirely around such aperture to bridge the'cleft and increase thesupport .ofthe picker body againstharmful spreading; andto cause the co-engaging surfaces to 'move in opposite directins during spreading. Preferably also, theportion of the picker body within the casingiis cleft purposely to increase the spreading to alirnited and controlled degree upon impact of the shuttle point thereon, and the encased portion of the picker body is made partly cylindrical or otherwise rounded and the interior casing is given a conforming shape, to maintain the maximum possible area of frictional contact between the outside of this portion of the picker body and the inside surface of the casing during the controlled spreading occurring during impact.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation, and Fig. 2 a face elevation of the improved picker secured in place on the upper end of a pickerstick.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts of Figs. 1 and 2. 1

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the metal casing.

The picker body I of rubber, leather, plastic, or other suitable material, is of conventional loop form and dimensions except as to the Parts 'secure against being flung off in use.

at and adjacent the working face thereof.

Thus, it has a loop 3 which surrounds and wedges tightly on the top end of the pickerstic'k 5, be-

ing retained thereon in usual manner by the screw 1. a

9 has the shape of a partial cylinder havingits axis substantially perpendicular to the top surface of the picker. In addition to the usual pilot hole I l to receive and guidethe shuttle point,

the face of the picker body is slotted from top to bottom as indicated at 13, the slot being centered on the vertical median plane through the picker and its stick and thus including the axis of pilot hole II and the axis of the cylindrical portion 9.

A casing l5 of spring steel or other durable and highly resilient metal of G-shape in horizontal section encloses substantially. the entire frontal and lateral surfaces of the working portion 9 of the picker, being given acylindrical shape. interiorly to conform closely and compressively to the exterior of cylindrical portion 9, the sides of the casing being carried around portion 9 well beyond the axis of the cylinder to grip the narrower neck. occurring where the portion 9 joins the loop portion of the picker. The casing is sprung onto the cylindrical portion 9 by compression of picker 9 and combined slight spreading of the casing I5, whereafter casing l5 grips portion 9 tightly enough to be Inturned flanges ll extending around the top and bottom ends of casing I5 parallel to and in contact with the top and bottom ends of cylindrical portion 9 of the picker body prevent vertical displacement of the casing.

The face of casing l5 presented toward the shuttle is formed with a circular hole l9 concentrically disposed with respect to pilot hole II in the picker body, this hole being large enough so that its sides will avoid contact with the shuttle as long as the picker stays in shape for continued use. In fact, since the hole I9 is actually circular in shape, it becomes elliptical and thus wider in a lateral direction as the portion 9 of the picker body spreads in use, increasing the lateral clearance as the shuttle point penetrates more deeply.

In use, the impact of the picker upon the shuttle point in picking, or of the shuttle point upon the picker in checking the flight of the shuttle, causes the strength of the blow struck by the shuttle 1 point, as the harder the blow the greater the expansion of portion 9 and the greater the resistance to spreading exerted by casing l5 and the greater the relative travel of the two surfaces in contact with each other. To a lesser degree the blow of the shuttle point spreads cylindrical portion 9 vertically, thus increasing the pressure of such portion against the inturned flanges I! at top and bottom of casing l5, and, this also adds to the braking surfacewhich' creates the friction desired to dissipate the energy of the blow. The same relative movement of the surfaces of portion 9 and of casing along each other occurs throughout these areas of contact as arises within the lateral and frontal parts of casing I 5;

By this construction, the energy, which otherwise goes into tearing and spreading the ordinary picker apart until it is worn out and useless is largely dissipated harmlessly as heat, and the picker is held in shape and continues to remain serviceable for a greatly prolonged period.

"While I have illustrated and-described a certain form in which the invention may be einbodied, I am aware that many modifications may be made therein by anyperson skilled in the art, Without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the particular form shown, or to the details of construction thereof, but

What I do claim is: I a

'1. A loom picker comprising an inner body and a resilient casing surrounding such body, such parts to be moved relatively to each other by the impact of the shuttle and by such movement creating friction between these parts dissipating a portionof the energy of impact 2. A loom picker comprising a one-piece body having an'integral loop gripping the pickerstick of the loom and a resilient casing fitting around the body,,both the body and the casing being arranged to'expand under the impact of the shuttle.

5. A loom picker having in combination a body having a part-cylindrical shuttle-engaging portion disposed transversely to the shuttle axis, and

- a casing of C-shape in section fitting about such portion.

6. A loom picker having in combination a body having a part-cylindrical shuttle-engaging portion that is cleft in the plane of its axis, and a casing fitting closely and conformably about the cylindrical surface of such portion and'bridging the cleft.

- 7. -A loom picker having in combination a loop to fitupon the pickerstick and an integral portion engaging the shuttle, and a casing fitting around the latter portion, the surface of such portion moving along the coengaging inner surface of the casing in a direction away from the shuttle and the inner surface of the casing moving in the opposite direction with respect to the 'coengaging surface of the said portion of the picker by reason of the expansion of said portion under impact of the shuttle against the picker. 7,

8. A loom picker comprising in combination .a body having a shuttle-engaging face having a slot 'enteredby-the' shuttle-point, and a resilient onepiece casing extending across the face and bridging the slot therein and enclosing the lateral portions of the picker adjacent its face and expanding and moving along and in contact with the said lateral portions when the body expands under impact of the shuttle.

9. A loom pickerhaving in combination a loop to fit upon the pickerstick and a part-cylindrical shuttle-engaging portion that is cleft lengthwise through the point of impact of the shuttle thereon, and a resilient metallic casing bridging the cleft and clasping the cylindrical surface of the said portion and having portionsoverlying the top and bottom surfaces ofsuch portion, the cas- LEQN w. CAMP BELL. 

